The decision was far from easy. But after years of speculation, testing and evaluation, the Indian Air Force finally concluded the world’s largest open-tender military aviation deal worth a whopping $10.2 billion. The big winner: France’s Dassault Rafale. The induction of 126 new aircraft, at roughly $85 million a pop, will be welcome relief to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has been reeling under several major setbacks over the past decade. With an ageing fleet of MiGs and Jaguars, and having lost a large number of planes to retirements and crashes, the operational strength of the IAF dropped to perilously low levels. The delay surrounding India’s first indigenous fighter, the HAL Tejas, didn’t help either. The IAF required an airplane that wasn’t just capable of multi-tasking, but one that projected India’s air prowess.

With the Ministry of Defence (MoD) earmarking $18 billion for the acquisition, the competition between bidders was intense. The Rafale went up against some of the most advanced fighters in the world – the Saab Gripen from Sweden, the F-16 and F/A-18 from America, the MiG-35 from Russia, and the Eurofighter Typhoon from EADS – a fournation consortium including Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. The aircraft were evaluated on a wide range of technical criteria by the IAF over a two-year period, until only the Rafale and Typhoon remained. Breaking with precedent, the MoD took into account not just the upfront price of the aircraft, but also the cost of using, maintaining and upgrading them – a lesson learnt from the earlier purchase of Russian planes that seemed like a great deal at the outset, but proved costly over time. When the bids were opened, the French delta-wing fighter came out on top, offering a 10-20 per cent saving in the long run over its nearest competitor.

The first batch of 18 Rafales will be delivered three years from the date of signing the contract, which should happen by September. The 108 additional aircraft will be assembled in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, thanks to a crucial transfer of advanced military technology from France to India.

There’s no question that the Rafale is an impressive aircraft. Still, only time will tell if the decision was the right one.

Here's some of the most advanced fifth-generation fighter competetion that the Dassault Rafale edged out to bag the contract: Name: BoeingF/A-18INOrigin: AmericaUnit Cost: $55 millionTop speed: Mach 1.8the world